Lotus battle for naming rights in court next week

NEWS STORY18/01/2011

At a time when it is claimed that the naming rights over Tony Fernandes Team Lotus could be settled amicably without going to court, it has been revealed that the issue will be heard in London's High Court on January 24.

Speaking at the weekend, Group Lotus CEO Dany Bahar said he believed the matter could be resolved without going to court, a view not entirely shared by his equivalent at Team Lotus, Riad Asmat, who claims not to have had any contact with Group Lotus recently.

With the matter going before the High Court in less than a week it leaves little time for a peaceful agreement to be reached, though it is still possible.

That said, speaking to the BBC at the weekend, Asmat was defiant: "We know we are Team Lotus, so it's really not an issue for us. It is what it is. We have a five-year plan. It's unfortunate they decided to go their own way for reasons which to me are trivial."